Automatic tack dispenser



May 3, 1949. E. KOZACHUK AUTOMATIC TACK DISPENSER Filed Dec. 2, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tlve-rfior Evshrca KazacZ-uk I g z May 3, 1949. E. KOZACHUK AUTOMATIC TACK DISPENSER Filed Dec. 2, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 3, 1949 OFFICE AUTOMATIC TACK DISPENSER EustaceKozachuk, Toronto, ntario,0anada;1

Application December 2, 1946'; Serial No; 713,600

13'Cl'aims; 1:.

My'invention concerhsan" apparatus for dispensing tacks" or the like and enabling them to lie-picked up singly' by a' magn'eti'c'hammer so that the user d'o'esnot' have to handle the tacks noruse hismouthforholdinga supply, as is-the customary'practice with an-upholsterer for example.

My invention has'for'its object theprovisionof a dispenser of this kind which will automatically feed tacks from aso'urce-of supplytoa pick-up device adapted to be depressed-My a magnetic strike end-ora-"hammer 'in ordei topla'ce atack thereon;-

The invention" consists in the novel c'ombi-rra t-i'on and arra-rrgementof parts asdescribed in tlfe present specificat-i'om and shown in the accomp anying-drawings which' form' a part-thereof. The construction of" the presentdispense-r pro-- vides a highly efficient and serviceable mecha nismior delivery of a-'continuous-supply oftacks from a container t'o a pick up sta-tion andfor enabli'hgthe' tacls to be magnetically' applied" in dividually to- 'a m'ag-net'itstrlk ef ace of a h'ammer so that all-the workman has t'o'do is to d'rive the tarls ir'r a workpiece. The machine is a labor savingapparatus and one which can be-manufactured at low= cost.

The advantages=- an'd' utilityor the apparatus are more clearlybrought out in the ensuing in'gs nmstrate a practical emlo odiinent of the invention:

In" the" drawings;

Fig. is a top -'-plarr=view of the dispenser;

Fig$-2 is an 'elevatiorr insection-of thedispenser 2% Fig. 10 is a perspective detail showing more clearly i the arrangement of the feede'rdevi'cel Theainvention particularly concerns'a dispenser for use with'a hammer having a headincluding;

tack while it is bein applied? to" a workpiece: Such a hammer is representediat l5 in: the drawings and the magnetlc' strlke en'dz is denoted at' lfivwhich. tapers as usual: to the striliaiace. The dispenser comprehends.a-v hollow "body 11 shown as of an upright box shape providing a' front wall l8; a'rear walli i9? axrdi sidewalls 20L Abase 2i en ables": th'e'rbodyto .firmly rest upon" a support-'- ing surface. The bodmhoweverg. may be sup plied-with: a suitable? strap" ha'mess (not I shown) byrwhic'hit'm'aybe supported ona workman if so desired.

The upper'p'art ofisa'idf bodyis formed into a container '22" for holding: a": supply of tacks bymeans of floor" plates -'2 3: which slope? downwardly from; the opposite side walls 20 and: have their inner ends spacediaparts to providean intervening gap: The gap-enables av feeder device 24" to be projected upwardly into'thetcontainer'. The

, feeder device is shown" asam'ade up of a pairof' vertical plates 25 'united in spaced r'elation, whose upper edges 26 :form'a liftisurface for tacks. The spacing' of these platesz'isrsuchiasto loosely accommodate the bodyofa; tackbut not-"thev head so'that, when the body isiadmitt'ed; the head portion will rest on sa-idsupper edges; The plates- 25 thusforma longitudinal'slotil into which a number of tasks may dependiin a single row; Saidv upper edges: 26% are disposediat the bottom of the container in-the normal position of the feeder device, asshowniimFigs'i 21 and 4. In placing a quantity of Stacks. inithei container one or more of them may'lodge in thesl'ot'fl with their heaclsseatedmnthe edges-:26, others will rest promiscuously on these'sedges- Therefore wheni-thefeeder dev-icefisiraisede-as will be described. later -a plurality of;'- the tacks willbe lifted. The fee'dei devic'esis fitted in grooves 28- for vertical movement? and is operated" by the pick-up device.

The ick up'd'evice?comprises a ring 29of nonm-agnetic material-carried byth'e' upper end'of avertical'bar'3i3"s1idahl-y'mounted in a frame-3i forendwise movement The bore of the ring is flared upwardly andis-ofsucha diameter that the strike end 15" of the hammer will' engage therein by reason ofit's tapers. The strike face projects a short distance below the ring, as shown' in Figs; 2 and 3i The 'bar" 3'0 is' yieldablyheldto a raised position-by'means of the-spring 32'; and

is depressed by manually urging the hammer downwardly. The bar has limited travel and is non-rotatable. Its lower end is pivoted at 33, as by a slot and pin connection, to an end of a rocker 3d fulcrumed at 35 on the base 2|, and

the other end of the rocker is pivoted at 36 to the lower end of the feeder device 24. The rocker operates to raise the feeder device upon depression of the pick-up device. The frame 3! is mounted on the body I? to project forwardly of the front wall thereof.

Said frame 3! is integrated with a gravity chute 31 which has formed in it a T slot 38 sloping downwardly from said front wall l8 toward the pick-up device. this slot is of a width to enable the body portions of tacks to slide along the same when the heads of the tacks are ledged in the horizontal portionas best shown in Fig. 9. The chute has a top plate 4t disposed over the slot 38 and extended throughout the length thereof. The top plate prevents the tacks from becoming displaced as they gravitate along the slot 38. The upper end of this slot communicates with the container 22 by means of a T-shaped aperture 4| formed in the upper part of the front wall l8. When the feeder device is elevated the slot 21 therein registers with the vertical part 42 of the aperture 4-]. This registration enables tacks to be fed into the chute-slot by a pushing action derived from a pusher mechanism.

The pusher mechanism is an overhead arrangement mounted on the body I! and comprising a slide 43 reciprocally disposed on a guide plate 44 horizontally arranged parallel to the feeder device. The slide 43 carries a depending finger 45 which projects into the slot 2'! when the feeder device is in raised position. of the finger is tapered on a curvature for engaging the head of a tack in a manner such that the tack may be pushed along the top surface of the feeder device without causing it to tilt.

The slide 43 is movable along the guide plate for causing the finger 45 to push tacks into the aperture 41 when the feeder device is raised. Said slide is actuated by a weight device comprising a roller 46 which is free to roll in a runway 4'! formed in a housing 48. The roller is supplied with an annular groove 49 about which a flexible element such as a cord is loosely fastened in a loop. The cord extends through i a slot 5! in the bottom of the runway and is fastened to the slide 43. The housing is pivotally mounted medially of its length as at 52 to enable the runway to tilt from either end. The housing 52 extends parallel to the slide and normally is tilted with its front end 53 raised, in which condition the roller is disposed at the rear end of the runway to retain the slide 43 in a retracted positionsee Fig. 2.

A trip device is used to effect a reverse tilting of the housing as the feeder device comes to a fully raised position in its operative movement. The trip device consists of a vertical rod 54 slidable endwise and disposed to the rear of the pivot axis of the housing 48. The lower end of this rod is connected at 5,5 to the feeder device and the upper end 56 is freely engaged in a slot 5! of a plate 58 which is rigid with said housing. A portion of the length of the rod is reduced in cross section to form a, lower shoulder 59 near its upper end, which shoulder comes into contact with the plate 58 as the feeder device approaches a fully raised position. In the final upward movement of the feeder device the rod The vertical portion 39 of The lower end raises the rear end of the housing and reverses the directional slope of the runway with the result that the roller slides to the front end thereof and in doing so pulls the slide with it. In this movement of the slide the finger 45 moves through the length of the slot 27 and pushes tack-s through the aperture 4! into the chute 3?. Any tacks not ledged by their heads in the slot 21 will be either pushed off the lift surface of the feeder device by the finger or will drop into this slot and be fed into the chute. To avoid the possibility of a tack remaining in an upside down position on the lift surface of the feeder device and thus blocking the entrance aperture to the chute there is provided a biased deflector bar Eli located over the feeder device and having laterally inclined faces 6| for contacting the pointed end of an inverted tack in order to cause the tack to be toppled when the feeder device is fully raised. The rear end ofthe lift surface may be upwardly inclined as at 62 for the purpose of keeping tacks away from the finger when it is in a, retracted position. Projecting inwardly of the front wall l8 directly below the aperture there is provided a, nodule 63 which is disposed in the path of the slot 21 and has an inclined or curved outer face 64 suited to push tacks away from the front end of the lift surface in the elevational movement of the feeder device in order to prevent the possibility of the tacks jamming the mechanism.

In the lowering movement of the feeder device the rod 54 has an initial lost motion action and then acts, by means of a shoulder in the form of a pin 65 at its upper end, to engage the plate 58 and thus pull the rear end of the housing downwardly so as to revert the runway to its original tilted position. This causes the roller to glide to the rear end of the runway. The

40 slide 43 is pulled by the roller and retracts the finger 45 ready for a subsequent operation.

Adverting to the chute, it will be noted that the top plate 40 is reduced in width at the discharge end as at 66 and at this end there is provided a receiver 61 in the form of a hollow cylindrical member. The receiver is vertically arranged and rotatably mounted in the frame 31 alongside of the bar 30 on an axis eccentric of the ring 29. The upper end of the receiver is fitted with a plug 68 of a non-magnetic material and is supplied with a slot 69 extending inwardly from the periphery. The slot 69 is normally in register with the discharge opening in the chute for receiving the body portion of a tack in order that the head portion thereof may rest upon the top face of the receiver which is formed by the plug 68. Means are provided to turn the receiver in order to swing the slot 69 away from the discharge opening of the chute and to bring it into concentric registration with the ring 29. This angular rotation of the receiver places the tack directly below the strike face of the hammer and at the same time blocks the discharge opening against escape of tacks in the chute. The receiver is rotated by depression of the ring 29, and the means employed comprise a follower pin 10 projecting from a side of the bar 30 and engaged in a cam groove 1| in the receiver. The cam groove is curved helically through a part of its length. The tack in the receiver is magnetically attached to the strike face of the hammer when the ring 29 is fullydepressed and is removed with the hammer when it is lifted from the dispenser at the end of the return travel of the ring. In the upstroke of the bar 30 the cam amass 5? mechanism turns the receiver'backito its initial position so that the slot 69 therein. wi1lagain register with the discharge passage" of the chute for receiving" the next't'ack.

Now,,from what hasbeen' recountedit" will.be understood that there; is" provided a machine which is. loaded; by; placing, a". supply of tacks in the container and which is operated by depressing. the. ring. 29 by, means. of an inserted strike f ace of a hammer and applying pressure thereon to depress thee/ringsolthatthedeeder device will be actuated for raising tacks in order that some of them will be fedto"- the chute by the pusher mechanism. This assures of asupply of tacks being delivered .to :the :receiven so-thatvone of them will be picked up by the magnetic strike face each-time the machine is operated.

Although" the machinehas been described for use in'- dispensingtacks it will beapparent that its use might be extended to small nails and other metallic fasteners or like objects, and that such changes and modifications may be resorted to as come within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A tack dispenser for use with a hammer having a magnetic strike end, comprising a container for tacks having front and rear walls and a gapped bottom wall, a feeder device disposed beneath the container for movement between raised and lowered positions, said feeder device having an upper end in the gap of said bottom wall forming a lift surface for tacks which is provided with a vertical slot receptive to the body portion of tacks so that the heads thereof may ledge on said lift surface, a chute extending outwardly of the upper part of said container and having a slot passage for tacks for receiving and containing them in substantially upright position, a pusher device having a finger for pushing tacks along said lift surface into said slot passage of the chute when the feeder device is in a raised position, means for actuating said pusher device, a depressible device adapted to be actuated by the strike end of a hammer, a receiver for receiving tacks singly from the chute and enabling them to be attached magnetically to the strike face of the hammer by depressive movement of said depressible device, and means by which such depressive movement raises said feeder device.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1, in which the said feeder device is made up of a pair of spaced vertical plates rigidly united and mounted in grooves provided on the front and rear walls of the container for vertical movement.

3. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which a deflector is provided to deflect inverted tacks on said lift surface to cause them to topple as the feeder device comes to a fully raised position.

4. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which said finger is slidably mounted for reciprocal movement, and in which it is actuated by means motivated by the force of gravity.

5. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which said finger is carried by a slide, and in which said slide is connected to a roller housed in a tilted runway having a connection with the said feeder device by which it is subjected to a reverse tilting operation for effecting operative movement of said finger.

6. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which said finger is carried by a slide, and in which the means for actuating the finger comprises a tilted housing pivotally mounted medially of its length and provided with a runway, a roller in said runway, a flexible element connecting the roller to 6. s'aidslide; and a reciprocal'bar" connected'f tothe feeder device" andhaving spaced: elements forqrle versely'tiltingisaidhousing,

7;" A. structure. as defined in claim" 1, in" which. the said?depressible'idevicecomprises a ring, over said" receiver having. an" upwardly flared bor'e suited toihe engagedby the strike'end ofthe' hammer,,a.bar carrying said. ringjandvertically sup portedfbr limited end'wise movement; andresirientmeans upwardly bi'asirigs'aid bar;

8. A: structure" as definedin' claim 1, inwh'ich the receiver is. a hollow cylindrical member mounted for turning; about a vertical axis and disposed at the discharge en'dof saidc'hute,,said receiver having, a stripper end and' having' a'slot in its. periphery at its stripper end for receiving a tack'from the chute 'by'its body portionwith tlieliea'd portion thereof ledg'e'd 0n the top of the receiver, said? receiver" furtherhaving a cam groove; an'dfin which the depressible device, in cludes a follower pinand'aring; saidfollowerpin being engaged in said cam groove to turn said receiver for swinging said slot away from said chute when said depressible device is depressed, and said ring being disposed above said receiver and in alignment with the position to which said slot is turned whereby the strike end of a hammer can be engaged in said ring to depress said depressible device and contact the tack in said slot.

9. A tack dispenser for use with a hammer having a magnetic strike end, comprising a container for tacks having front and rear walls and a gapped bottom wall, a feeder device disposed beneath the container for movement between raised and lowered positions, said feeder device having an upper end in the gap of said bottom wall forming a lift surface for tacks which is provided with a vertical slot receptive to the body portion of tacks so that the heads thereof may ledge on said lift surface, a chute forwardly extending from the upper part of said container and having a. T-slot therein for tacks, said slot communicating with said front wall by means of a T-shaped aperture therein whose vertical part registers with said vertical slot of the feeder device when the feeder device is in raised position, a nodule projecting from said front wall subjacent said T- shaped aperture therein, said nodule being aligned to enter said slot in the feeder device as the feeder device is raised whereby to keep tacks on the lifting surface thereof clear of said front wall, a pusher device having a finger for pushing tacks along said lift surface into said slot passage of the chute when the feeder device is in a raised position, means for actuating said pusher device, a depressible device adapted to be actuated by the strike end of a hammer, a receiver for receiving tacks singly from the chute and enabling them to be attached magnetically to the strike face of the hammer by depressive movement of said depressible device, and means by which said depressive movement raises said feeder device.

10. A tack dispenser for use with a hammer having a magnetic strike end, comprising a container for tacks having front and rear walls and a gapped bottom wall, a feeder device disposed beneath the container for movement between raised and lowered positions, said feeder device having an upper end in the gap of said bottom wall forming a lift surface for tacks which is provided with a vertical slot receptive to the body portion of tacks so that the heads thereof may ledge on said lift surface, a chute extending outwardly of the upper part of said container and having a slot passage for tacks for receiving and contain- 7 ing them in substantially upright position, a pusher device disposed over said container parallel to said feeder device and having a depending finger which sweeps along said lifting surface in the raised poistion of the feeder device for pushing tacks into said chute, said finger being received in said vertical slot of said lift device when the feeder device is raised, a depressible device adapted to be actuated by the strike end of a hammer, a receiver for receiving tacks singly from the chute and enabling them to be attached magnetically to the strike face of the hammer by depressive movement of said depressible device, and means by which such depressive movement raises said feeder device.

11. A structure as defined in claim 10, in which said finger is located at the rear wall of the container when in a normal position, and in which means are provided to prevent tacks from resting on the lift surface of the feeder device directly below said normal position of said finger.

12. A structure as defined in claim 10, in which said pusher device comprises means by which said finger is slidably mounted for reciprocal movement, and means by which the finger is actuated by impositive means.

13. A structure as defined in claim 10, in which said pusher device comprises a guide plate, and a slide thereon of which the finger is a part thereof.

EUSTACE KOZACHUK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 667,279 Yearey Feb. 5, 1901 1,818,051 Duplessis Aug. 11, 1931 

